The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-20
Eui,ht af the silver SPURS.

knight OF the silver spurs.
The Florida Herald of the 18th inst.
has graphic description of Gen. Dickl-
sons capture of the gunboat Columbine
at Horse Landing, near Palatka, and re-
calls the day when hostile fleet patroled
the river daily-not in pursuit of an alien |
enemy, as did the French and Spaniards, |
but in defiance of men of the same race, |
speaking the same tongue and animated
by the same zeal for common sentl-
ment. The farmer yet plows up evil
dences of this fratricidal strife, and
houses in Palatka bore deep scars IN
fiicted by shot and shell till our great
fire covered these mementoes with the
gray ashes of oblivion as the rush of new
duties and changed relations have swept
all bitterness from our hearts.
But in these troublous times, Gen. Dicki-
son was to Florida what Forrest was
to Mississippi and Alabama and Mosby
was to Virginia THE camp followers
of the enemy ranged the country To
pIunder end terrify the weak and from
these incursions the presence of Dickl-
son and his little band was the only safe
guard. He struck in knightly fashion
wherever the odds were not too great ON
land or water, but his name to the pill
| ferers became an abiding terror. To
| them he seemed ubiquitous and the
weak saw in him and; his followers their
strongest earthly hope.
To such a man the hearts of the de
voted women of the South went out in
| love and admiring faith, and an episode
of those days is too touching to be lost
and will, perhaps, be thought too trivial
for history. Therefore it finds its httest
place among the memories which are
too deep for the lips and is now first ex-
humed for the public.
The women and children OF Palatka
and its vicinity had left their homes and
were living as refugees" at Orange
Springs. General Dickson had twice
driven back the parties which would
have disturbed their .'City of Refuge,
and the heart of matron and maid sought
expression for the feeling of gratitude
and trust with which his services had
inspired them. So each contributed some
1 Ndiucu DiI VI oRcCAA VI 80 SCAA
in some instances-and physician, DR.
: Geo. T.. Halves, turned silversinith
. melted down these offerings and ham
, mered from the mass a handsome pair OF
: | spurs. These We're presented to Genera
, Dickson by a committee of matrons
and the answer of the old hero has beer
drawn by the daughter of one of thes'
, from among the heirlooms of the famil,
8 and given us for publication, with tn
f strictest injunctions for its careful pre-
9 servation and speedy return.
n IL lies before us i'm a faded envelope O
G brown Confederate wrapping paper
4 which was the best we could make at TIN
time, and is written upon a blue pag
: torn from an old account book. Yet
Y such as it is, it is priceless and the oil
o man who yet lives may be glad to know
= that a reminder of his warrior life is s.
tenderly cherished by such hands. Thu
is the acknowledgement made by tn
u soldier to the women who emulated tina
entire devotion of their sex which ha
II inspired the poet and animated the pag
of the historian so often i'm the past an
will become more valuable in its intlu
y ence, but not purer at its source, as. ou
race climbs onward and upward in tn
: path set before us by the enlarged devel
IL opment and grander possibilities of tn
future.
CAMP BAKER, WALDO, May IL, 1865.
Mrs +. l.. Freyer, Mrs. II. L. Hart, Mrs. i.
Is Pearson:
LADIES' am the honored recipient G
your interesting favor of the Sth ms
IL From nv heart of hearts" l thank yo
Is for the beautiful gift you have presente
III me tribute of gratitude Tn
r tangible evidence of your kindly col
3 sideration is indeed most gratefully II
d ceived but the touching expressions ,
e your friendship, and the sweet breatl
"a ings of sympathy that rise from YOU
pure souls into the pious and hear
thrilling refrain of ''God bless our ow
brave Dickson" are peculiarly soOthin
~ to mans spirit in an hour when fat
treacherOus to nature, seems to have COZ
10 spired with the powers of darkness, an
al given to Might the sacred privilege
H. Right" The sudden and crushir
- blow which has fallen upon us as a pc
pie, though it produced "A phvsic
iS paralysis, yet, thank God, the free spir
d, | wears no shackles, and with unco
at quered souls we can wait and watch. !
80 knight of the Silver Spurs l owe al
. now bow allegiance to the noble matrOl
and lovely maidens of Orange Sprin
ill and should fortune favor the brave
rh ,rhat has been awarded me for past d
:. votion to our country's cause, shall
90 sacredly preserved Us q trust of fa
I'M woman. and, as such, honOrably wor
ed The Star of Peace sheds no beauteo
nj light upon our darkened pathway. &;
- it be that the war cloud has indeed roll
a' away from the Southern horizon?
gu IF after tempest comes such Gains,
he May the UiHtis bt0tc till they have 'waken
:. death"
Ladies, your prayers and words OF g
* couragement have been my inspirati
ty in times of danger. When victo
Mt crowned my efforts your gracious smil
- and generous plaudits Were ever II
.o most precious guerdon. Your de
IL hands alone twined laurel chaplet I
of the cold. fair brow of the young mi
,as tyred hero" whose grave your loving "a
:. has made to bloom with sweet fiowe
%, bright emblems of Gods love and t
OF souls Immortality. Such memorials
of your virtue will be engraven fore,
"a upon my heart, and that your giorio
names may be recorded in the Lam
IT, Book of Life" is the earnest prayer
in your loyal friend and most obedient 5.
Is want,
10 /. l. DICKSON.